City Rail Link – Britomart Future Works Community Liaison Group Meeting MINUTES AND ACTION POINTS Rā: Wā: Wāhi:
16 February 2022 4pm – 5:30pm Teams
Attendees:
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CLG member Paul McLuckie
Project representative Nicole Lawton (NL)
Bankim Patel Brendan Graham Noel Playle Laura Barry Fox Shaun Tempest Graeme Gunthorp Diana Petrie Tania Loveridge Shelley Jones Jamie Penwarden Quin Webster Councillor Pippa Coom Marlon Mendoza Jeremy Hansen Natalie Hansby James Joyce Ian Gibson
Richard Jenkins (RJ) Mark Youngs (MY) Olivia Cookson (OC) Andreas Schuemann (AS) Steve Newbury (SN) Brandy Smith (BS) Oksana Zhang (OZ) Helen McLean (HM) Egidio Guimaraes (EG) Michelle Parish (MP) John Nottage (JN) John Balcombe (JB) Mac McKinley (MM) Jenna McFarlane (JM)
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Title Snr Advisor Stakeholder & Comms – CRL Ltd CRL Principal Planner C1 Project Lead Communications Coordinator Project Engineer Principal Project Manager Downer communications Aurecon planning & environment Aurecon planning & environment Martinus representative Link Alliance Comms representative At Comms representative Link Alliance project manager AT Britomart Lead metro services Aurecon planning & environment
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Welcome – Nicole Lawton
NL welcomed attendees, introduced the meeting agenda, housekeeping C1 Contract close out - Explained the difference between the completed CRL C1 contract and the ongoing CRL Britomart works - Note to attendees that this CLG serves as the official close out of the C1 contract Britomart works look ahead - Work started in late 2021 and will continue until CRL project completion (approx. 2024) - Delivered by CRL and contractors Link Alliance, KiwiRail and Martinus, in partnership with AT - Below ground works in Britomart Station -
Above ground works at Britomart Place & Tyler Street
Meet the comms team - Nicole Lawton – CRL, Britomart Comms Lead
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Michelle Parish – Link Alliance
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Bijana Stanic – Martinus. NOTE: This role has since been reallocated to Tania Reynolds Tammy Dickson – Kiwi Rail
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John Nottage – Auckland Transport
How will we inform you of works? - Community Liaison Group (CLG) – Meets quarterly or more regularly as needed, minutes and presentations displayed online - Britomart Newsletter – General communication, updates, surveys and notifications emailed monthly and displayed online - Britomart Works Notifications – Official notice emailed 10 working days before disruptive works as needed and displayed online - Queries/complaints received – Tracked and forwarded to relevant team for response - Email: info@cityraillink.govt.nz -
For more information and to subscribe to the Britomart newsletter visit https://www.cityraillink.co.nz/notifications-britomart C1 close out – Mark Youngs
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Phone: 0800 CRL TALK (275 8255) – option 1
The last C1 CLG (May 2021), touched on the completion of the public realm reinstatement works and reopening the Chief Post Office (CPO).
With the CPO reopened, the C1 team were then able to start removing the temporary works that enabled Britomart Station to remain operational while the CPO was upgraded.
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C1 – Station Plaza Accommodation (SPA) building detached from Glasshouse o Temporary access to the platform removed including staircases and glass bridge widenings o SPA building and Glasshouse building physically separated from one another
C1 – Curved walls constructed, bluestone pavers installed and heritage cabinets installed
C1 – Glasshouse corner reinstatement on Galway Street side, temporary work access still available for ongoing construction contracts on Tyler Street side
CRL C1 public realm reinstatement works completed in May 2021
Auckland Council - streetscape enhancement works (in red) o Galway Street planned to start April 2022 o
Britomart Look ahead – Richard Jenkins
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Tyler Street to tie in with the completion of other Britomart contracts with CRL (early 2024)
Overview of works required at Britomart Station for CRL to function o Key works include: Changing the station from a ‘terminating’ station to a ‘through’
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UPDATE/ACTIONS station Changes to allow the station to accommodate longer nine-car trains that carry more people and to also allow a greater number of trains to pass through the station per hour Reconfiguration of underground equipment rooms and ‘back of house’ facilities, including upgrade of various systems o Most works will be underground at platform or track level: Most construction related environmental effects such as noise will therefore be ‘contained’ in a way that does not affect neighbours at surface level o Where possible, larger deliveries of equipment and materials will take place by rail from Quay Park o Unavoidably, however, some of the works are required to be undertaken at surface level - particularly in Britomart Place at the eastern end of the station precinct o Some of the underground works also require construction support facilities at surface level – including worker accommodation and delivery of equipment and materials Works at eastern end of station o The track layout at the eastern end of Britomart Station (where tracks enter the station from the tunnel) needs to be reconfigured to allow for trains to enter Britomart at a higher speed - enabling a greater number of trains to pass through the station per hour (operation of CRL is based on 24 trains per hour) o This requires: Excavation within part of Britomart Place to strengthen roof of tunnel [surface level works] Which then enables part of the underlying support wall in the tunnel throat to be relocated – providing space for track reconfiguration [underground works] Subject to property access issues being resolved, these works are programmed to commence in late April 2022 and will continue through to the beginning of 2023
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Link Alliance works – to accommodate CRL, existing underground equipment rooms within Britomart Station also need to be reconfigured: These works have already commenced, with delivery of equipment and materials via the north-eastern corner of the ‘Glasshouse’ in Tyler Street Commencing in 2022, part of the room reconfiguration works (‘eastern systems rooms’) will also require construction access from Britomart Place The room reconfiguration will be undertaken at the same time as the tunnel roof strengthening works – so both these construction activities will need to occupy part of Britomart Place through to the beginning of 2023 A combined site compound will be established on the eastern side of Britomart Place Maintaining access to adjoining properties and business activities will be a priority: Intention to keep Britomart Place open in both directions for the majority of time Enable vehicles to exit out of Scene Lane into Britomart place Approvals are required from Auckland Council to undertake the combined works in Britomart Place – this will address the management of noise, access disruption and other construction related effects There will be further consultation with neighbours regarding the management of construction effects Over Christmas 2021-22, while Britomart Station was closed, similar activity occurred in Britomart Place. Network utilities were moved to enable the upcoming excavation in Britomart Place and initial works were undertaken down in the tunnels in preparation for the required reconfiguration.
Works at western end of station o The ‘Station Plaza Accommodation’ (SPA) building, which was used as an alternative station entry while the CPO was closed during C1 works, will remain for another couple of years. This building and surrounding Station Plaza will be
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used as construction support for fit-out works in the CRL tunnels running west from the CPO building to Albert Street Environment Court approval was granted for this in 2021, with some attendees of this CRL participating in the Court process. Strict conditions apply, including for example: Activity must be completed by 20 December 2023 Controls to ensure construction traffic (including concrete delivery) does not affect safe and efficient operation of Tyler and Commerce Streets Demolition of the toilets on the northern side of the SPA building has commenced. This is to allow room within the Station Plaza area for the construction and concrete trucks – so that they don’t park on Tyler Street To comply with fire regulations, a ‘smoke curtain’ needs to be installed within the western end of Britomart Station – physical barrier (glass panels in a steel frame) suspended from a roof beam above the bottom of the escalators. The curtain will trap smoke in the event of fire, allowing people to escape up through the Glasshouse without being overwhelmed by smoke To install the smoke curtain, it will be necessary to deliver materials via the north-eastern corner of the Glasshouse in Tyler Street Works are programmed for April – October 2022, with delivery of materials from street level as required over this period The two outside platforms at Britomart Station (Platform 1 on northern side and what will become Platform 4 on southern side) will be extended at their western end to future-proof for longer 9-car trains: The concourse area at the western end of the platforms currently sits at a lower level and needs to be raised to achieve the longer platforms Will require concrete delivery from construction support facility within Station Plaza (via Tyler Street), using same methodology as that identified for tunnel fit-out works Works currently programmed to be undertaken in stages from June 2022 – March 2023 Railway tracks within Britomart Station currently sit on ballast (gravel) For the two outside platforms (servicing what will become the ‘through’ lines for CRL) it is proposed to replace the ballast with concrete track slab prior to the opening of CRL Will require concrete delivery from both Britomart Place and the construction support facility within Station Plaza (via Tyler Street) As much concrete as practicable will be delivered from Britomart Place end Works currently programmed to be undertaken from January – June 2023 (but this could be brought forward to 2022), with concrete delivery in discrete stages over this period. Will only be possible to work on one track at a time to maintain station operations Q+A - All
Attendee: How are you going to monitor building damage before and after the concrete pillar removal? RJ: The wall removal work is only required at the far eastern end of the station in an area that sits beneath Britomart Place. It does not affect the western end of the station. In undertaking the Britomart Place excavation and subsequent underground wall relocation works, Page | 6
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we will pay careful attention to the potential for ground settlement and building movement. The technical studies undertaken to date predict that very little movement will occur if the works are managed in the right way. Notwithstanding this, monitoring of the works will include: 1. A pre-condition survey of the adjoining Scene One apartment building for a ‘baseline’ to compare against if the residents were to observe any changes during construction 2. Real-time monitoring during construction – similar to what is used elsewhere on the project (e.g. in Albert St). An automated survey station will take real-time measurements of the ground surface and adjoining building facades to identify whether any movement is occurring. These measures will be included in the formal application process to Auckland Council, and we will be talking directly to stakeholders about these same matters. There will be full visibility of the conditions the Council will be imposing. Residents of the Scene One apartments should be expecting a visit from us to undertake the pre-condition surveys. Attendee: Where is the mediation report currently? RJ: Are you referring to the pedestrian mall declaration at the bottom of Queen St? NL: I believe you are talking about the Endean’s Post Condition Survey, which Mark Young’s has an update for you on. [ACTION] Attendee: Concerned about Scene One receiving no communication and how the upcoming works will affect the daily life of residents.
How will every apartment be visited before works start?
Shouldn’t this communication have begun months ago if it was planned months ago? RJ: We have been in communication with parties at Scene One, NL to elaborate. NL: The purpose for this CLG is to explain the purpose of the works and the ways in which they will be managed to mininise disruption to the greatest extent possible, and we are still a little way out from the April 2022 start date. Yes, we do intend to communicate with all parties and to potentially survey all apartments before construction starts. I understand this is an issue that is still being worked out between yourself, Scene One residents and our CRL property group. We have been following formal communications methods with your ground lessor and now we are bringing you along on the journey also. We have also been communicating upcoming works through a monthly newsletter. RJ: We are aware that the ownership structure for Scene One apartments is complicated. We have been talking to the head leaseholder/building manager in the first instance, and have since gained a fuller understanding of the stakeholder groups associated with the building (and in particular the owners committee). We are now getting down to a level of engagement where we are talking directly to people such as yourselves. It is important that people living in the apartments understand what the works will mean for them and how we are going to manage construction effects. Attendee: We do not have emails for every tenant/owner in Scene One, I suggest we put flyers in the letterboxes once a month. NL: Yes, we will also use that form of communication for Scene One residents moving forward. RJ: Reiterated the formal consent process that is required with Council, where all these issues need to be addressed. MP: With regards to the Link Alliance utilities works that started in June 2021 and ran until the Page | 7
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end of the year, we were in communications with the owner and the building manager as per standard practice, but now understand that the information was not being passed on to residents. This situation will be remedied for future communications. RJ: We appreciate your concerns and would like to set up a one-to-one meeting to speak on this further. [ACTION] Attendee: Commented on his positive experience with the building condition survey process during an earlier stage of CRL works – reported the process to be comprehensive and timely. Attendee: Comment about the importance of not disturbing the water table, particularly in a way that could adversely affect the Kauri pile foundations for the Endeans building. RJ: We have finished the heavy civil works down the western end of the Britomart Station precinct, that required digging big holes and intercepting ground water etc. The works that I have been describing today don’t involve any activity that would interfere with groundwater. Attendee: Are you still monitoring the water table? RJ: Need to clarify and come back to you. [ACTION] Attendee: During the above ground works, will there be adequate emergency access to the surrounding buildings? (For example, in the event of a fire, will ‘Fire and Emergency NZ’ (FENZ) have unimpeded access). RJ: Yes, but we will get the appropriate person to provide FENZ with more detail. [ACTION] Attendee: Why isn’t light rail starting at Mt Eden instead? RJ: This is a question better put to the light rail project team – we will provide you with contact details for that project Actions
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CRL to send summary of answers to SJ for Q: How are you going to monitor building damage before and after the concrete pillar removal? and Q: Where is the mediation report currently?
CRL to set up one-to-One meeting with Scene One owners committee
CRL to go back to NP regarding water table monitoring
CRL to go back to FENZ regarding emergency access to the surrounding buildings while above ground works are happening.
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